Crystalline
by Caelion
Summary: Sometimes the most obvious things are the ones we're most oblivious to. Mitsu, canonverse, oneshot.


_**Warning: This is a 100% spur-of-a-moment story. No deep planning, or any kind of planning in general, for that matter, took place during writing this.**_

 ** _Disclaimer_** : I do not own K-ON, its songs, and characters. Which is a shame 'cause I'd love to have Mio writing lyrics to my own songs.

* * *

"Have you heard?"

A voice came from the back of the classroom.

"What is it? What is it?"

Another excited one joined.

"Marika-san from our class and and Wakane-san from class 3-1 got caught by a teacher yesterday."

"What did they do?"

"Oh! I know!"

A third voice gasped.

"They were kissing in an empty classroom!"

All three voices fell quiet for a short while.

"That's so cliché! Like a scene from a manga!"

"What? What are you saying? It's disgusting!"

"I heard it's normal. In all-girls schools, I mean."

"Could it be...you know first-hand?"

"No, no! No way, I'm not like that! Hahaha!"

Mio sighed quietly to herself and propped her head on her hands, listening to the stupid chatter going on behind her while waiting for the class to start. _Disgusting, huh..._ With a corner of her eye, she glanced distantly at Ritsu who was animatedly chatting with ever-smiling Yui on the other side of the classroom.

 _ **~Crystalline~**_

 _ **By: Caelion**_

Tapping lightly with her pen against her notebook, Mio was sitting on the sofa in the clubroom. Being the first one to enter, her surrounding was still relatively quiet. _I might as well try and write some new lyrics_ , she thought, staring at the empty page in front of her.

There was a lot going through her mind and heart. A lot of things she wanted to let out. But somehow none of them would come out in form of words. Tentatively, she started writing her thoughts down.

 _ **No matter what I do, my feelings never reach you**_

 _ **How straightforward do you want me to be?**_

 _ **I want to kiss you in the rain when no one's around**_

 _ **And sing you "I love you" to put you to sleep**_

She hesitated before continuing to write. _I could swear I heard someone-_

"Wow! That's some really bold lyrics, Mio!" Ritsu exclaimed, glancing at the piece of paper over Mio's shoulder.

The raven-haired girl jumped and yelped in surprise, quickly ripping the page with lyrics out of her notebook and crumpling the piece of paper in her hands. "I- I don't think it was that good," she explained immediately, noticing questioning stares of the other club members who had followed after Ritsu inside.

"Come to think about it, Mio-chan, why do you always write your lyrics about love?" Mugi mused suddenly, already up to her daily task of preparing tea.

Mio blushed at the unexpected question. "I- um-"

But before she managed to say anything sensible, she got interrupted by Azusa.

"Good point, Mugi-senpai, I don't think Mio-senpai is in any relationship, right?" the pigtailed girl shot a questioning look to Ritsu, as if not even expecting Mio to answer that for herself.

"Nah, she's never been in one," Ritsu waved it off nonchalantly.

Mugi immediately clasped her hands. "Maybe it's unrequited love!"

"Whoah! Mio-chan is in love?!" Yui, who wasn't actively participating in the conversation before, suddenly looked up from her cup of fresh tea.

Ritsu laughed out loudly. "Hahaha, that's even more weird!"

Mio's eyebrow twitched slightly. "I'm still here, you know," she growled, shooting her childhood friend an exasperated glare.

Completely ignoring the remark, Ritsu continued. "I mean, look at her, she could have anyone she wants! She even has her own fanclub-"

 **SLAP**

The room suddenly fell quiet.

Slowly, Ritsu brought her hand up, touching her burning-hot cheek in disbelief.

Mio's eyes dashed from one club member to another, finally resting on Ritsu, and widened at the realization and shock of what she had just done. "I- I think I'll go now," she gasped, taking a step back, then rapidly turned around and ran out of the room.

The remaining girls, save for Ritsu who didn't move at all, stared at the door, none of them really knew what to say.

Mugi was the first to break the silence. "Are you okay, Ricchan?" she asked with concern, stepping closer to the brunette and inspecting her bright-red cheek.

"...yeah," Ritsu nodded absent-mindedly, looking at nothing in particular. Suddenly, she let out an awkward laugh. "Hahaha, she probably thought I was teasing her again, that Mio," she said, more to herself than to anyone else, while waving her hand, as if to make her assumption more convincing.

But her face quickly turned back to a serious one.

"I said something wrong, didn't I?" Ritsu mumbled, receiving no answer.

She was used to being hit by Mio, more or less playfully, whenever she teased the girl. But getting actually _slapped_ in the face? That never happened unless Mio was seriously angry.

The group soon decided that any further practice was pointless, considering the mood settled by the previous event, and lack of their bassist. Ritsu wasn't easy to cheer up either as she just kept sipping her tea, while being unusually quiet, and stared wistfully at Mio's place at the table, now empty.

Agreeing on calling it a day, everyone started preparing to go home.

"Oh, look," Azusa called when she was about to pick up her guitar. "Mio-senpai forgot her bass."

Three pairs of eyes turned to Ritsu.

"Don't worry, I'll take it to her," she answered an unspoken question and tried to smile. "I might as well try and apologize for earlier."

With that, she took the instrument and hanged it on her shoulders.

A short walk and a series of 'good luck's later, the group divided and Ritsu, now alone, started slowly walking towards her friend's house. It wasn't far away. In fact, it was closer than her own place, she only had to take one extra turn.

 _I'm sorry, Mio, I'm an idiot,_ the girl thought of a possible way to apologize to her friend. _No, that's not good. Hmm..._ she mused, kicking a small stone on her way. _Mio, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to tease you,_ another one crossed her mind but, again, got quickly scrapped. _What am I trying to apologize for?_ she thought, clasping her hands behind her head and staring distantly at reddening horizon.

Trying to find an answer to a fundamental question, Ritsu noticed suddenly that she was already passing in front of Mio's house.

She took a deep breath and lightly smacked her cheeks in determination. _Okay, let's do this._

Somewhat hesitantly, Ritsu raised her hand to a doorbell and rang it twice.

The door opened a few seconds after with a small creak.

"Good evening, Ritsu-chan!" a tall woman, bearing an uncanny resemblance to Mio, greeted her in the doorstep with a smile.

"Good evening, Akiyama-san," Ritsu answered, bowing politely. "Um, is Mio back home?" she asked tentatively.

The woman nodded her head. "She came back shortly before you." With that, Mio's mother turned around and stepped closer to the stairs leading to Mio's room. "Mio-chan! Ritsu-chan has come to visit you!"

Silence.

"Tell her to go away!" Mio's muffled voice suddenly rang out.

There was a short pause before Ritsu shifted uncomfortably at the doorstep and took off the bass from her shoulders. "I'll leave it here then," she mumbled, avoiding the woman's concerned eyes.

* * *

The day after Mio didn't appear in the clubroom. Of course, she attended the classes but quickly excused herself to Mugi right after their last period, claiming that her parents wanted her to be home early.

Not even once on that day did she look at Ritsu.

At least as far as the girl in question could tell from discretely observing her childhood friend.

"It's pointless without Mio-senpai!" Azusa burst out suddenly after Ritsu lost her sense of rhythm yet again during a song.

Mugi and Yui nodded their heads sadly in agreement.

Ritsu said nothing. Instead, she got up and strolled to the couch she left her bag on. "I'm going home," she announced dully, packing her drumsticks.

The three remaining girls glanced at each other with concern.

* * *

Mio stared quietly at the grass in front of a swing she was sitting on, watching its colour mixing with evening orange sun rays. The small park she was in was slowly darkening but she had no intention of leaving.

Once again, the girl reached to her pocket and retrieved a small, square piece of paper.

" _Mio-chan, what's wrong? I've never seen you so cold towards Ritsu-chan. Did something happen?"_

 _Mio stopped staring at her homework and instead looked up at her mother who had suddenly entered her room. She opened her mouth to answer but the words escaped her._

 _Then she noticed. "That's my..."_

" _Ritsu-chan brought it for you," the woman explained, carefully propping Mio's bass against the wall._

" _I...see..." Mio mumbled, immediately feeling guilty._

 _After her mother left, she strolled to her instrument and opened the case that contained it. First thing she noticed was a small note stuck in between the strings. Carefully, the girl picked up and unfolded the piece of paper._

"I'm sorry." _was the only thing written on it._

 _Idiot..._ Mio thought, staring once again at the hastily scribbled words. _Do you even know what you're apologizing for...?_

She looked around the empty park and sighed. Then she got up from the swing and picked up her school bag, directing her steps towards the exit.

Mio was about to step on the pavement when she suddenly felt something bump right into her, sending her back on the soft grass.

"Oww, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I wasn't loo- Mio?"

The girl in question looked up at the unexpected mention of her name. "Ritsu!" she exclaimed, quickly getting back up on her feet and stuffing the note she was still holding into her pocket. "W-what are you doing here?" she stuttered for the lack of anything better to say.

"I was just about to ask the same thing," the shorter girl answered, also standing up, while looking carefully at her friend. "I thought you had some family matters."

Suddenly, Mio felt like a child caught red-handed. "I- I'm sorry," she looked down at her feet. "I lied," she added, more quietly, feeling blood rushing to her face. "I needed some time alone."

They stood in awkward silence for a couple of long seconds until Ritsu decided to make a move. "Look, about yesterday-"

"Don't apologize."

"Huh?" taken aback by the sudden interruption, Ritsu eyed carefully her friend who was still standing with her head down.

"It's not your fault, so don't apologize," Mio repeated, more sternly.

"Then care to explain to me what is it?"

The raven-haired girl opened her mouth but closed it immediately. "I-" she gritted her teeth and clenched her fists.

Confused and concerned, Ritsu tilted her head. "Are you okay, Mio?" she asked, stepping closer to her friend and reaching her hand out.

"It's not like that at all!"

There was a loud rustle when a couple of birds suddenly rose from the ground at the unexpected shout.

Ritsu stared at Mio, somewhat shocked and with her hand frozen mid-way to the girl's shoulder.

"It's not true! I can't have anyone I want!" Mio felt tears suddenly running amply down her cheeks. "If I could, then-" she paused mid-sentence, taking the air in sharply. "Then..."

Before she could say anything else, something warm encircled her, breaking the dam she had desperately tried to put on her feelings.

"There, there," Ritsu held the crying girl tightly, gently patting her back as she kept shaking through her sobs. When Mio somewhat calmed down, Ritsu led her to the nearby bench.

They sat in silence, Ritsu still having her arms wrapped around quietly sobbing Mio and running her fingers through her friend's raven-black hair in a soothing manner.

"I'm sorry...for my outburst, and for hitting you yesterday..." Mio mumbled after a few minutes.

Ritsu smiled sadly in return. "It's okay, I'm sorry, too. I didn't know you're...you know..." she finished awkwardly, her voice trailing off as she realized what she really meant to say. _In love..._

It stung.

The knowledge that there was someone out there, lucky to have Mio in love with them, and they probably didn't even know.

Ritsu pulled back and rested her hands on her lap, fixing her eyes on the ground in front of the bench.

"R-Ritsu? What's wrong?"

Mio's tentative voice, still somewhat cracking, caused the shorter girl to jolt lightly.

 _Crap, she noticed..._ Too late to put a happy mask on. Quickly searching through her options, Ritsu opened her mouth. "I'm just thinking...they must be lucky."

"Huh? What are you talking about, Ritsu?" tilting her head, the bassist looked at her friend in confusion.

"That person. The one you're in love with. They must be lucky," Ritsu explained, noticing she was suddenly acting extremely awkward. "I'm almost jealous, hahaha," she tried to joke but her laughter quickly died down.

The expression on Mio's face turned from confused into a mix of surprise and hurt.

Noticing that, Ritsu quickly composed herself. "Sorry. I guess I'm being a jerk right now," she apologized and got up from the bench, avoiding Mio's eyes. "You're a sweet girl, Mio. Whoever it is, they're lucky," she added after a second, mentally laughing at her own unusual honesty.

With that, Ritsu picked up her bag and turned to the exit of the park.

Only to stop when something, or rather someone, took a firm yet gentle grip of her wrist.

"Mio?" with a questioning look, Ritsu turned around to face her friend but Mio was already up and getting closer and closer.

Before the shorter girl managed to register what was going on and react in any way, a pair of incredibly soft and warm lips pressed against her own. The grip on her wrist tightened nervously, almost to the point of hurting her, but she barely even noticed, occupied by the sudden wave of sensations washing all over her.

Mio's sweet scent, her warmth, slightly salty taste of her tears still lingering on her lips, and the feeling of her rapidly pounding heart mixed all together in Ritsu's mind, suddenly making her feel strangely light-headed and yet...peaceful.

Just as quickly as it started, it all ended when Mio pulled back, her cheeks decorated with hot, pink blush.

"Idiot..." the taller girl mumbled.

And then, to Ritsu's further astonishment, she ran away.

It took Ritsu a couple of minutes to process everything that had just took place. A little shakily, she brought her hand up and touched her lips, suddenly feeling something warm and fuzzy settling in her stomach at the fresh memory of her, however unexpected, first kiss.

The feeling grew larger and larger until Ritsu couldn't contain it any more. Overjoyed, she let out a loud, lively laughter before picking up her bag and heading home.

She stopped abruptly after taking just a few steps.

 _If I'm the one Mio is in love with...was she referring to me in the lyrics from yesterday...?_

Ritsu could practically feel the gears in her head moving at the sudden realization as her thoughts trailed back to other songs her friend wrote. Then, she cracked a big, bright smile before continuing her walk.

"Always so lovely, that Mio."

* * *

 **A/N:** That would be it. I hope you enjoyed this little little story. Depending on your feedback and my, however random, inspiration, I may write some kind of continuation to it in form of another oneshot or/and a longer story.

'till that happens, see you around~!


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